There are antique malls, and then there’s the Roscoe Woodstock Antique Mall, in Woodstock, where there’s always something fresh to be found.
Across 35,000 square feet, visitors find all variety of interesting items, each carefully curated by one of about 80 vendors. Strict standards are upheld to ensure every item is authentic and crafted between the 1800s and 1979.
“We have people come in all the time and tell us, ‘I don’t know how you do it, because it’s so different every time,’” says Gaylene Stomberg, who owns the antique mall with her husband, Ted London. “That’s the flaw of most antique malls – people set up their booth, never change anything and after awhile you stop visiting. We try to always keep ours changing.”
Some of the most popular wares include vintage clothing, authentic vinyl albums, jewelry, collectibles and oak furniture. Special displays showcase Christmas items year-round. The midcentury room plays up fashions from the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s. Downstairs, find more clothing and military items as well as a room of “project” furniture – items that need a little TLC. Look in the game room for slot machines, pinball games, neon signs and other electronics. Around the corner, find advertising signs and classic Americana. Numerous curiosities are hidden all around.A restoration shop on-site handles restorations and repairs.
Roscoe Woodstock Antique Mall began in 1998 in Roscoe, Ill., and came to Woodstock in 2018.
Today, people visit from across Chicagoland, and around the nation, to see what’s new. Stomberg finds many people make a day trip out of it, browsing the shelves at the antique mall in between adventures on the Historic Square. Visitors of all ages are welcomed, and that includes children – so long as they’re well-behaved.
“You can see just about anything, in any price range,” says Stomberg. “We have a lot of great high-end items, but we have lots of things that are under $20. There really is something for everyone, even little kids.”
Roscoe Woodstock Antique Mall is located at 890 Lake Ave., in Woodstock, (815) 334-8960.